Fiber optic connectors, electrical connectors, adapters for such connectors and variety of other such connecting devices often are mounted within openings in a panel. The connecting interface of the connector, therefore, passes through the panel, i.e., from one side of the panel to the other. The panel may be a drawer panel, a box panel, a backplane panel, a circuit board or a variety of other planar substrates.
In addition, a pair of connectors or a connector and another transmission device often are mated in an adapter which centers the connectors. The adapter couples the connectors together in an in-line arrangement. The adapter may be designed for mounting in the opening in the panel, circuit board or other substrate, whereby one connector is inserted into the adapter from one side of the panel and another connector or other transmission device is inserted into the adapter from the opposite side of the panel.
Problems are encountered in mounting connecting devices through openings in panels where electromagnetic interference (EMI) is present. For instance, in a drawer panel, a box panel, a backplane panel or the like, all kinds of electrical circuitry may be disposed behind the panel (i.e., the opposite side of the panel) and it is desirable to prevent the electromagnetic interference from migrating through the connectors interface in the panel opening to the front side of the panel. If an adapter in an opening in a panel is fabricated of plastic material which has excellent wear characteristics, such as for allowing repeated mating and unmating of the connectors which typically are made of plastic materials, electromagnetic interference has a tendency of migrating directly through the plastic adapter. In order to provide EMI protection under such circumstances, it might be proposed to fabricate the adapter out of metal material, such as a diecast metal material. Unfortunately, such a metal adapter creates additional problems of creating plastic “dust” as a result of repeated mating and unmating cycles of a plastic connector with a metal adapter. It also might be proposed to plate a plastic adapter with metal material, but such metallization is expensive and the plating has a tendency to “flake-off” during repeated mating and unmating cycles, again creating undesirable plastic and metal dust. The present invention is directed to solving these problems by providing an adapter assembly or other receptacle which has a plastic part for receiving a repeatedly mateable connector, along with a metal part to provide EMI protection at the opening in the panel.